Choose One
by True Pacifist
Summary: An AU where, in Asriel's boss fight, Frisk can only save one of their friends. But what will happen after they've saved that person? Can Frisk go back and save another? What about when saving Asriel?
1. Chapter 1

_It's the end._

Frisk could feel it; their friend's souls were in there somewhere, weren't they? Asriel was doing a good job of keeping them out of the human's reach, close yet not close enough, but they were determined to reach out to the lost souls.

" _Toriel, Asgore, Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys…c'mon…please…"_ Frisk's cries for the monsters were reduced to mere whispers, as if a strong current of wind was facing against them.

Finally, they appeared.

Faces blurred, bodies suspended in midair, motionless…Creatures that were once alive and full of expression now echoed the same words over and over again.

Frisk could now slightly move, they could approach the lost souls, and almost feel their pain. The words they spoke caused the human a headache, one that felt more sorrowful than anything else.

As Frisk began to pick some of the phrases out, the reality of the situation began to set in. " _Please save…don't worry about…surely there must be someone you'd rather…"_

This whole time, the human had been able to help everyone, hear them out, and become every monster's friend. Frisk never would've guessed that they'd be thrown into a scenario like this one.

Only one could be saved, and Frisk had to decide between all of their new friends.

Asriel's laughter could be heard as this realization came to the human child, but they calmed down and planned to patiently listen to every statement.

But no-Frisk already knew who they wanted to save—they'd made a promise to see her again from the very beginning.

The child turned to the soul and held out a hand, waiting for something—anything—any reaction at all, before calling her name. The name of the one who had cared from the moment they fell.

" _Toriel!"_

But instead of getting a response from the soul, Frisk fell into a memory that was not their own.

A blinding flash of white briefly took away the child's consciousness, drowning out any reaction Asriel might've had to Frisk quickly deciding whom they wanted to save.

An image of Toriel's house slowly came into view, but it wasn't as decorated. Bookcases were empty, the vases didn't have any plants in them, and the extra rooms were completely blank. Frisk was placed standing at the staircase that led towards the exit of the ruins, they looked around—confused for a moment—before following their urge to walk down the steps.

Faint sobs could be heard from the ending of the hallway, Frisk walked slowly, before realizing they couldn't hear their own footsteps. In fact, it didn't seem like the human could do anything besides watch and listen to what was happening in this scene.

And somehow sense the pain in the atmosphere, there was so, so much of it.

When the door to the ruins came into view, Toriel could be seen sitting in front of it, sobbing. She held some of her possessions, a few books and images, as well as some seed packets, but set them down while she was crying.

Then Frisk realized; this must've been what happened right after Toriel left Asgore.


	2. Toriel's Heartache

And then there was a memory within a memory, the tears were clearly about an event that just occurred, and Frisk was afraid they knew exactly what that event was.

Now the child faced a very similar location to Toriel's home, except it appeared the color had been sucked out of it, and there was a locked chain in front of the staircase. Voices came from the living room, and they were not happy ones.

Frisk walked into said room and hid behind one of the chairs around the only table, even though they knew they could not be seen, the human was still a child.

"Asgore, this is nonsense." Toriel's firm, mature voice could be heard, and she could be seen standing next to her husband in the living room. "You need to quit fighting; this will not bring our children back." Her voice wavered while speaking the last few words.

The monster King refused to look at his wife, and his voice was sterner than Frisk has ever heard before. "The humans have once again taken everything from us, Toriel." Asgore knew his wife disapproved of things such as war and cowardliness, but right now his silent rage took clouded all reason. "We cannot allow this to continue, every human who falls down here must die."

Toriel was shaking with anger now, "If you really wanted to…No. I refuse to be a part of this." She was on the verge of tears now, as she began to realize what she must do in order to get away from all this.

"Toriel, please, this is our war. This is our chance to get back at the ones who took everything from us!" Asgore started to pace the room, talking more to himself now. "Our freedom…our family…what more could they take…?"

The word 'our' is what made Toriel finally snap. " _Our?_ No, Asgore, I do not accept this! Members of what little family we have just passed away, and the first thing you want to do is cause more pain!?" The King looked angry, and he quickly opened his mouth to snap back, but Toriel raised her hand—so quickly that a spark of a flame flew—and silenced him. "You…you go ahead, wait for humans to kill…like the coward you are. But me? I will have no part in these disgusting actions."

Toriel marched out of the room, to the side of the house, and came back with some of her possessions, suspended around her with magic.

"Tori…please understand…this is all for the greater good." The last thing Asgore wanted was for her to leave, but the last thing he was about to _do_ was stop being stubborn.

"Greater good? _Your war_ is for the greater good?" Toriel shook her head, tears starting to well up, she approached the door, creating a magic barrier around her so the murderous King wouldn't stop her. "Goodbye, Asgore."

The view of these memories faded away, and Frisk was left standing in front of a Toriel with her face blocked out by what looked like pixels.

"My child, surely there is someone else you'd rather save than I."

This wasn't about remembering anything, this time, this was about accepting,

In the blurred image of Toriel's face, Frisk could see the memories play out again and again. She was in so much pain; memories of regret filled the air.

"Toriel…" Frisk called out to their guardian softly, "You're not the only one with regrets here." The child turned to Asgore's lost soul and looked at his blurred face, which oddly enough didn't have memories repeating in it.

"Please save my wife." Is all the soul would say, and nothing else, it appeared that Asgore would not let himself be saved.

At least, not yet.


End file.
